Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Deliberate LMB spawn suppression strategy?

You could achieve this but it probably wouldn't work by stocking BG. You have too large a pond to do that cost effectively. I will add some thoughts.

Swingle found that it was an abundance of intermediate sized bluegill that prevented LMB reproduction. These are BG between 3" to 5". Interesting thing is ... this is the ideal size for growing monster bass! Swingle noted also that under these conditions LMB achieved maximum growth @2 lbs/year (northern strain). Swingle argued that the situation was unbalanced because the BG do not grow to sufficient size to be harvestable and because the situation is not self sustaining (no LMB reproduction). Predators are keystones in an ecosystem and so this situation is untenable without some plan for introducing predators on a periodic basis.

In order to achieve the condition, the biomass of BG in the intermediate sizes needs to be disproportionately weighted towards BG of the 3" to 6" size. There is only so much space for BG .... SOOOOOOOO ... it stands to reason and it is a sound hypothesis that when the standing weight of BG > 6" occupy a smaller proportion of the biomass, BG < 6" will occupy the remainder. But it is not just that simple. If there exists a preponderance of small LMB, as you do now, the predation of the very small BG YOY will short circuit the production of 3" to 5" BG below the ponds potential. So to manage for the situation requires management of both the BG and LMB population structure.

I think there are a number of things that are contributing to the over abundance of small LMB.

1. Feeding - something which favors large BG over smaller ones

2. Too many large BG - they are too big for even the largest LMB to eat. Eating BG > 25% their length - hardly ever happens - and it's dangerous for them. They can get one caught in their mouth being unable to expel it and die. Your BG are under harvested and this facet of managing for trophy bass has been overlooked.

3. Tilapia introductions early in the season. This takes space away from the smaller BG and removes the base of their food chain. The tilapia won't help inhibit LMB production and will not foster an abundance of 3" to 5" BG. It would be better to introduce latter in the season where they would not interfere with two or more BG hatches.

4. Finally, nothing succeeds like success and for the small LMB, being in high numbers favors small bass and few intermediate sized BG. It is self reinforcing mechanism.

OK, so you don't need to stop the LMB production all together to improve conditions. But you will need to greatly change the distribution of sizes and numbers of adult fish in order to get the results you want. On 8 acres, you have your work cut out for you. On another note. You mentioned delaying releasing the forage pond until doing a big culling with the survey. This is a very smart move I think.